Flint Northern quarterback Richmond Lewis may be a 'Momma's Boy' but he's a tough competitor on the gridiron

Richmond Lewis’ 942 total passing yards lead the Saginaw Valley League heading into this week’s contests. (Dorothy Edwards | The Flint Journal)

Richmond Lewis

Northern High School junior quarterback Richmond Lewis practices with his team at Northern in Flint on Wednesday. (Dorothy Edwards | The Flint Journal)

Flint Northern’s junior quarterback Richmond Lewis doesn’t have the typical rough life like many other city school students.

His image is rather clean-cut.

He’s never been in any major trouble, he maintains a 3.5 grade point average, and the majority of his time is dedicated strictly to playing sports.

However, Lewis does hold a small secret.

“One thing about Richie that people might not know is that he’s a big momma’s boy,” Lewis’ teammate, Jada Littlejohn said. “His momma takes care of him very well. Other than that Richie’s just a quiet, calm, and collected guy.”

According to Lewis, Littlejohn isn’t lying.

Lewis and his mother, Rondra Lewis, share a very special bond.

“I love my mom, she would do anything for me in the world,” Lewis revealed. “I know if I want something, then I will go to my mom.”

When Lewis steps on the field — “Momma’s Boy” or not — he morphs into one of the toughest players in the area.

Neither Rondra nor anyone else can stop him from spearheading the Vikings’ explosive offense on the gridiron.

Vikings’ head coach Fred Jackson says he has to tone him down at times because he can be too feisty.

“He’s tough as nails,” said Jackson. “He lowers his shoulder in games on kids. I have to tell him every game to stop taking those unnecessary hits when you don’t have to, but that’s his competitiveness. He wants an extra two yards.”

Lewis is considered to be a dual-threat quarterback because of his passing and running skills.

Through five games, Lewis has already thrown for more yards than he did all of last year.

Lewis’ 942 total passing yards lead the Saginaw Valley Conference heading into this week’s contests.

He’s also thrown for eight touchdowns along with 278 rushing yards while using his feet to score four times in the process.

In Northern’s last game against Bay City Central, Lewis exploded for a career-high 312 passing yards and five touchdowns with only one interception.

He completed 19 of his 37 attempts and rushed for a game-high 117 yards despite a 49-36 loss to the Wolves in Northwestern’s Houston Stadium to celebrate Northern’s homecoming.

Despite Lewis’ stellar showing in their last outing, Jackson still only gave him a B- when asked to grade his athlete’s overall performance.

“He put it on late,” Jackson said of Lewis’ game against Bay City Central. “It could have been better in the first half. It was a few key throws in the first half that I thought he should have made that probably would have made a difference.”

Lewis expects to turn on the heat much earlier in this next battle.

Northern (1-4) is set to play Saginaw Arthur Hill (0-5) tonight in Saginaw at 7 p.m. With every game, Northern’s second-year varsity starter is becoming more relaxed in the driver’s seat.

“I’m getting more comfortable,” Lewis stated. “I’m trying to put my name out there on the state scale and make myself noticeable.”

The team needs Lewis to be on his “A” game to pick up a few more victories before the season comes to an end.

The offense revolves around Lewis and his ability to guide his team down the season’s final stretch.

“As the season is progressing, he’s becoming more of a leader,” Jackson said. “He’s adding more and more value to the team because he’s working through a hurt ankle right now but he’s out here leading the team.”